The Lion and the Snake
by Cookie Seller On The Dark Side
Summary: With her parents, Harry and favorite Professor dead, Hermione has to take up a new life... in 1943. Her mission: persuade the murderer of her loved ones to give up on 'the flight of death' or Voldemort idea. Can she succeed? Or will her friendship get larger- as well as another secret emotion...
1. Out Alive

_I'm standing on my own two feet,  
Somewhere hangin' in between,  
My life and the death of me.  
Fate doesn't leave us time to waste,  
Weaving through the human race,  
Till we run out of air to breath,_

_But no ones getting out alive!_

Her senses were slowly but surely returning to her. Spots were floating in her eyes. Green, yellow, orange. But the only color she saw when her sight came back was crimson red. The color of blood and death. And it was everywhere.

She covered her ears as a deafening roar of terrified screams became audible once more. She really wished they hadn't.

Then her sense of feeling arrived and she didn't have the strength to shriek. Her body was aching, battered and bruised.

Then her sense of taste was restored and the gruesome, grotesque flavor of doom appeared. Not many people believe you can taste emotion but she knew she could.

Then her memory dropped anchor and she managed one muffled cry of agony. She was in a war, and she was losing.

She was Hermione Granger. Member of the golden trio. And on he-who-must-not-be-named 's wanted list.

She forced her exhausted bones to heave her onto her knees. Hermione considered her final options. Give one last desperate search for the horcrux or go after Harry in the woods or-

Her thoughts were interrupted- not by noise, but by silence.

"Cower, you mudbloods and blood-traitors, the chosen one is dead!"

* * *

Despite Hermione's expanded knowledge, she was one of the desperate people yelling for Harry to get up.

When his lifeless body remained still, she let the tears flow. _Harry, you idiot! Get up!_

"You murderer!" She screamed, fists clenched taut. "You imbecilic, supercilious, power-mad -" She was disrupted.

Mainly because Lord Voldemort began laughing. "So the mudblood can talk!" He sneered.

Hermione, furious, snapped obscenities right back at him. "Especially when it comes to blood-thirsty, mental, blockheaded twits!"

Voldemort's eyes bored into hers', expression showing no emotion but amusement. "Apparently too much." He muttered, ignoring her ranting.

"Hermione's right!" A voice cried out. Neville pushed through the crowds. "You are a mental oaf!" He quickly gave a apologetic glance at Hagrid.

"Ah," the dark lord mused. "Longbottom, I suppose you want to join your parents in the mental ward." The death-eaters snorted in the back round.

Fuming, Neville muttered quietly. "I am only doing this for you, Harry... _Avada kedavra!" _Neville bellowed, his wand pointing to the snake which was cosily wrapped around the merciless wizard's neck. _Nagini. _

The snake was doomed from the moment green fire went ablaze from Neville's wand. She was dead before she acknowledged the urgency of the spell.

"Nagini!" Voldemort cried out. He glared icily at Neville. "Prepare to die, fool!"

It was like the two were in a room of there own. Hermione had no choice but to take that as an opportunity. Silently, she crawled in the direction of the door to Hogwarts.

Somehow, she made it.

_I'll get a spell from Dumbledore's office. _She assured herself, but that wasn't the half of it. She wanted to see her late headmaster's portrait.

She didn't make it halfway up the stairs.

"Hello, Granger." A dark voice greeted. "Glad to see me?"

* * *

Hermione slowly turned around, having already recognized the ferret's voice she had her wand ready.

"Malfoy." She grunted in response. "Come to call your precious master?"

"Shut it, Granger." Draco snarled, and put his slightly pointed wand at her neck. _Big mistake. _

With Draco's wand poised at her neck, Hermione had the time the position her wand and mutter: "Avis."

At least twenty bluebirds zapped out and flew right into the fa ce of the un-expecting Draco.

As he struggled with flailing arms trying to ward of the flock of bluebirds, Hermione took off, flying up, higher and higher and closer to her destination.

_I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna- _

"Got you now, you little mudblood!" A deep, malicious voice called out.

As Hermione ran, she could hear the man- or _thing-_ getting closer at an inhumane speed.

_That's impossible!_ Her mind screeched. _Wait- no!_

She didn't know how she knew it, what with a whole pack of werewolves at the scene, but she was definite it was Fenrir Greyback- the most vicious and sadistic werewolf out there... and the only one who got excited on a full moon.

Grumbling in pain, she tried to limp towards the nearby entrance to Dumbledore's old office, but the monster on her heels got in her way.

"The master will be so pleased," he snarled, licking his lips. "I will be rewarded with muggles, so many juicy, succulent muggles."

"_Conjunctiviti__s!_" She yelled, aiming her wand at his face.

Almost immediately, the werewolf was blinded. Permanently.

"You filthy-" He began, growling.

Hermione quickened her pace and headed for the door, mentally slapping herself for not learning the password.

She knew she only had a matter of time before Greyback came to his senses and use his nose- snout.

_"Potions! Dark-arts! Detention!"_She cried, having not been with Harry at Snape's death, she had no idea Professor. Severus Snape had any other passions.

"Uh." Hermione groaned, getting increasingly frustrated. "On the graves of Lily and James Potter!"

At the name 'Lily' the doors clicked open, Hermione made sure to slam the door hard on the way in.

"Ah, Hermione. I had a feeling you would be visiting." A soothing voice said. The portrait of Dumbledore smiled and with a twinkle in his eyes, he said: "I see the war isn't at it's best."

Snuffling, Hermione explained what happened. "I'm sorry professor, I should have tried harder."

"Don't blame yourself Hermione, I'm not surprised you were a little drowsy after the," he coughed. "Passing of your parents."

Hermione clenched her fists, and did nothing to sop the tears flowing down her cheeks. _Stupid Voldemort, how dare_ he!

Still sniffing, she asked quietly: "What do we do?"

Dumbledore gave a weary smile. "That, my dear, is an excellent question." He sighed. "I'm afraid we must stop the problem at it's source."

"Voldemort?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not exactly, Tom Riddle holds the clue."

"The younger dark lord?"

"Exactly."

Hermione felt flustered. "What do you mean, it's not like I can go back in time, now is it?"

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes got brighter. "Actually, , it is."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Hermione said, fuming. "You want _me _flirt... with the dark lord of our time?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Now your putting words in my mouth, ."

Hermione gave him a dry glare.

"No, just make him think of world domination as... well, bad."

"How?"

"You see those vials on that cabinet?" Dumbledore questioned. "Yes those, take which one you want, it will give you a temporary disguise for that time."

Hermione threw him a curious look. "What do you mean, 'disguise'?"

"Well," Dumbledore started. "You'd need to be pureblooded Slytherin to fit in with Tom, so each vial holds some pure-blood DNA mixed with some, er- _special _ingrediants'."

Herm_i_one crinkled her nose. "Hope it's not a Malfoy." She grumbled.

Sighing, she leafed through the multi-colored bottles until finally picking a light blue vial, labelled _P._

The professor beamed. "Interesting choice..."

"What?" Hermione asked, showing obvious confusion.

"That's the late Potter's vial of DNA... drink up!"

Gulping, she took a deep breath and inhaled it. It felt odd, slightly like the poly juice potion had. But her gender didn't change.

Dumbledore handed her a mirror and, amazed, gasped and gaped.

Her usual bushy brown hair was black, straight and silky. Her usual brownish eyes were a slightly bright green. And her figure was more girly.

"Oh my..." Dumbledore exclaimed. "You look like a Coquard!"

"A _what_?"

"The Coquards are a pureblooded french family of wizards and witches- yes, this could work quite well..."

"Pardon?"

_Bang!  
_The door shuddered.

"Hermione, you are now Nadine Coquard. And if anyone asks, your mother is called Anne Beauregard and father is named Bruno Coquard, and you're an only child."

_Bang!_

"You must go now! Repeat after me, _Tempus __est mecum!_"

"Time is on my side?"

"Say it!"

"_Tempus __est mecum_!"


	2. Everybody hurts

_Everybody hurts some days_  
_It's okay to be afraid_  
_Everybody hurts, everybody screams_  
_Everybody feels this way and it's okay_  
_Ladadadada it's okay_  
_Lalalala_

_So many questions, so much on my mind_  
_So many answers I can't find_  
_I wish I could turn back the time_  
_I wonder why?_

_-Avril Lavigne, everybody hurts._

"Good Gracious, what brought you here child?" A familiar voice asked.

_Ugh, my head._

"Where am I?" Hermione opened her eyes wearily. "_Dumbledore_?"

Dumbledore blinked. "That would be my name, yes. Do I know you?"

"I'm... I'm from the future."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Would that be so?"

"Yes, and where am I?"

"You are in the transfiguration classroom, Hogwarts school for the young witch and wizard." Dumbledore told her.

"Now, may I ask of your name?"

"Hermione Granger, but I'm posing as Nadine Coquard."

"Yes, you do look the picture."

"Thanks, your future self helped me out."

Dumbledore smiled. "Maybe you can grace me with the reason you're here?"

* * *

"...And so I have to stop Voldemort- Tom from taking over the ministry and, therefore, over the wizarding world."

"Ah, I see." Dumbledore mused. "But you must be sorted first."

'Yes, I suppose so."

"Publically or privately"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Publically." But upon seeing Dumbledore's curious expression, she added. "Tom may get suspicious if it is to be done secretly."

"Yes, but you did say that you were in Gryffindor, did you not?"

Hermione flashed a grin. "Harry said the hat takes in your opinion, and I'll tell it of my mission and imperio, it'll help me."

Dumbledore looked at her. "Well, you'll have to wait a couple of hours... the Hogwarts Express won't arrive until 3:30."

"A couple of _hours_?" Hermione exclaimed.

Dumbledore adjusted his spectacles."Yes, you came rather early, dear."

Hermione blinked."What time is it, exactly?"

"About 12ish."

"Oh."

"You can wander for now, if you wish?"

"OK, I might go to the library. Thanks." Hermione sighed.

"Alright then, good luck and enjoy your books!"

* * *

As she scrolled up and down and left and right, she stopped at a book lodged in an awkward position.

_Mythical yet very real creatures. _

_Possession of Tom.R._

Of course, Hermione realized, only a couple of years ago Tom Riddle had let loose a basilisk on the school- killing a girl called Myrtle.

_Git._

She stood there- suddenly remembering the book. _That's the one I held when the Basilisk attacked me!_

She took a step back, memories tearing back at her.

_**Flashback:**_

_"I'm going to research some more on the monster, OK guys?"_

_"Yeah, sure." Harry said distractedly._

_Hermione tried not to be offended, although she knew Harry was in a position of pressure- that she would _hate _being in- but she wished he could be a little grateful... after all, she had taken a risk and spent less time on her homework to research it- a big sacrifice in her mind._

_She began running, perhaps it was to relieve the stress- but only she knew about the name 'Malfoy' written on the back of her shoe, every time her left foot hit the ground it symbolized Malfoy's face hitting the ground. Hard._

_"No running in here. It is a **library**!" Madame Pince yelled._

_"No shouting in the library." Hermione muttered under her breath._

_Whisking multiple books on monsters into her hands she huddled down in a dimly lit corner.  
_

**_Jörmungandr:_**

_**In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr (Old Norse: Jǫrmungandr, pronounced [ˈjɔrmuŋɡandr]**_), often written Jormungand, or Jörmungand and also known as the Midgard Serpent (Old Norse: Midgarðsormr), or World Serpent, is a sea serpent, the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and the god Loki. According to the Prose Edda, Odin took Loki's three children by Angrboða, the wolf Fenrir, Hel and Jörmungandr, and tossed Jörmungandr into the great ocean that encircles Midgard.[1] The serpent grew so large that he was able to surround the earth and grasp his own tail.[1] As a result, he received the name of the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent. When he lets go, the world will end. Jörmungandr's arch-enemy is the god **Thor.**

_'No' Hermione told herself grimly. 'That can't be it.'  
_

**_LADON_**

**_ was a hundred-headed Drakon which guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides and tormented the Titan Atlas as he held the heavens on his shoulders. The creature was slain by__ Herakles-_**

_'No' Hermione said. 'That things dead already'.  
_

_The rest of the book helped nothing- although the second thing was a savior._

Basilisk:_**In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk (English pronunciation: /ˈbæzɪlɪsk/,[1] from the Greek βασιλίσκος basilískos, "little king;" Latin Regulus) is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance!**_

_Hermione stared at the page. With her mind working as fast as the speed of light she ripped out the page. She winced involuntarily. Whipping out a pen, she wrote a single word: 'pipes' onto the page. It was then she heard the hissing.  
_

_She glanced down at the mirror that Lavender Brown had left next to a 'how to surprise and how to accessorize!' book. Quickly she used the mirror to look behind her shoulder._

_'Don't worry', she told herself, though with doubt. 'The chances that is actually the monster-'_

_It was then the horrific and grotesque monster came in to sight, Hermion, terrified, opened her mouth to scream... but it was too late.  
_

It was then she remembered who had visited her bed-side and solved the mystery of the paralyzed muggle borns- Harry and Ron, one dead and the other... missing and supposedly being tortured back in her time.

Hermione glared at the book. Then her glare faltered and was replaced with a teary, melancholic expression. The cause was Harry and Ron's faces when she greeted them- out of her hospital gown and back in her uniform. Un- paralyzed.

Their beams.

Their hugs.

And now possibly their lives... were gone.


End file.
